What took you so long! I thought maybe you were on vacation or something...

I would love to see something out for the holiday season - but I am not sure TiVo has all the approvals from the FCC so I think it is premature to "promise" any dates until that happens.

But yes, it would not suprise me to see a fall release slip to winter or spring depending on a lot of factors. I think it is also important to remember, TiVo has not publicly announced either a product or a date - This is all based on information gathered by Dave Zatz.

Yes. They specifically petitioned the FCC to allow them to bypass the analog recording requirement. In fact for this generation they specifically asked to bypass the analog requirement of OTA as well. So, provided they get approval, the next gen box will be digital only for both cable and OTA.

I really hope TiVo moves quick on this once the FCC waiver goes through.

TiVo will have some serious competition for consumer dollars if they release in October.

If I could only buy one, I would keep my Elite and buy the console(s) first. TiVo will always be available so I can pick that up next year. If anything like with the Elite, waiting may get you a better deal if the price drops. I don't think it will this time around though since it is a new platform, but there is always the chance since sales never happen at launch.

I just hope they aren't expecting big numbers in the first quarter of sales. It could well be up to a year before those people buy since they will have just spent $460+ on hardware and games. Most aren't going to turn around and spend up to $1000 on TiVo.

Right Now the PS4 is rumored Oct 29-November 14th and the Xbox One is rumored the 21st of November.

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FWIW, TiVo released the Elite on October 8, 2011. I'm looking for similar timing on the new boxes.

The goal would always to launch ahead of the holiday season and inline with Best Buy's shelf reset. They couldn't pull it off with the original Premiere... but it looks like they're further ahead and with hopefully with fewer issues this generation.

Hopefully 3 1/2 years of experience programming for Adobe Air, coupled with better hardware, will give them a better chance at making this launch smooth. But I'm pretty sure the initial target for the Mini was suppose to be last Fall and it somehow slipped to March so who knows.

Hopefully 3 1/2 years of experience programming for Adobe Air, coupled with better hardware, will give them a better chance at making this launch smooth. But I'm pretty sure the initial target for the Mini was suppose to be last Fall and it somehow slipped to March so who knows.

I believe TiVo is pushing for the FCC waiver request to be granted by July 15th so maybe we will see a release as early as August/September. That could, however, be related to purchase commitments for new hardware from their supplier.

I expect the Mini was a more significant software change compared to adding a couple of tuners, embedding Stream functionality, integrating WiFi, and dealing with an RF remote.

I expect the biggest challenge would be dynamic tuner allocation. I know at least one MSO that's currently deploying the Mini to all markets is pushing very hard for DTA this year.

Storage capacity is a direct relation to how you use your DVR. If you like to record a lot of shows and archive them you'll need a lot of storage. If you record shows, watch them within a reasonable time frame, and then delete them, you really don't need a lot of storage. I routinely record about 40-50 hours of shows per week during the regular season and generally watch what I record within 2-5 days after they're recorded. I only have a 1.5TB drive in my HTPC for recording and it rarely gets more than half full. I also use that drive for additional file storage so the actual space for recording is more in the neighborhood of about 1.2 TB.

Obviously, everyone's recording and viewing habits differ. Some people record fewer shows but like to hang onto them forever. Personally, I've always been a strong believer that a DVR is for recording, not long term storage. If you want to save shows indefinitely, offload them to a server or other storage facility where they're less likely to be lost in the event of a drive failure. DVR drives are running 24/7 and will have a much shorter lifespan than the average desktop drive.

Storage capacity is a direct relation to how you use your DVR. If you like to record a lot of shows and archive them you'll need a lot of storage. If you record shows, watch them within a reasonable time frame, and then delete them, you really don't need a lot of storage. I routinely record about 40-50 hours of shows per week during the regular season and generally watch what I record within 2-5 days after they're recorded. I only have a 1.5TB drive in my HTPC for recording and it rarely gets more than half full. I also use that drive for additional file storage so the actual space for recording is more in the neighborhood of about 1.2 TB.

Obviously, everyone's recording and viewing habits differ. Some people record fewer shows but like to hang onto them forever. Personally, I've always been a strong believer that a DVR is for recording, not long term storage. If you want to save shows indefinitely, offload them to a server or other storage facility where they're less likely to be lost in the event of a drive failure. DVR drives are running 24/7 and will have a much shorter lifespan than the average desktop drive.

BTW, I'm on FIOS.

I have to agree with this. I think personal libraries are a fading concept.
I used to buy a lot of books. I don't any more and haven't really cracked any of them in years. The computer books especially are out of date.

I used to buy tons of DVDs. They all sit in a drawer now.

With Cable, OnDemand, and Netflix there is so much new stuff that I rarely have time to watch something old - let alone want to keep a seasons worth of something beyond the first viewing.

If I really wanted to watch something that could have been in my library. I just go get it from Netflix or the equivalent.

I really just think of my DVR has a short term delivery vehicle.

__________________
I will never forget the face of my wife as I left to go the operating room to donate my kidney and give her back her life.

I've had the four-tuner since December, and I can count on one hand the number of times all four have been recording simultaneously...

...now, granted, we are a two-person family and my wife has her own TiVo, so our needs aren't as demanding with those who still have young 'uns at home...

I'm the only person in my household that records shows and I routinely have six or more tuners going at the same time. It all depends on your viewing and recording habits. Some people are hardcore couch potatoes like me while others are only casual viewers. A lot of people could get away with a single tuner DVR while others can never have enough tuners.

Cable channels tend to repeat everything, and there are only 5 or 6 broadcast channels in most areas, so the average cable user doesn't actually need more then 6 tuners.

Counting available sideband channels, I have well over 40 OTA broadcast channels in my area (I'm between Baltimore and D.C.). I've got duplicate channels for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and the CW as well as at least five PBS channels and about a dozen ethnic channels and a few independents thrown into the mix. I limit most of my recording to the five main channels with an occasional PBS broadcast. Once in a while I'll see an old TV show broadcast on one of the side channels I'd like to watch, but they're usually in standard definition. Just about all of these channels are also available on FIOS, but I prefer to record from OTA because it's a slightly better picture. Otherwise, I'd probably need even more cablecard tuners than I already have.

Counting available sideband channels, I have well over 40 OTA broadcast channels in my area (I'm between Baltimore and D.C.). I've got duplicate channels for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, and the CW as well as at least five PBS channels and about a dozen ethnic channels and a few independents thrown into the mix. I limit most of my recording to the five main channels with an occasional PBS broadcast. Once in a while I'll see an old TV show broadcast on one of the side channels I'd like to watch, but they're usually in standard definition. Just about all of these channels are also available on FIOS, but I prefer to record from OTA because it's a slightly better picture. Otherwise, I'd probably need even more cablecard tuners than I already have.

You specifically say you limit your recordings to the 5 major networks, with an occasional recording from PBS or a sideband channel. So why would you need more then 6 tuners? Are you padding everything and creating conflicts that way?

With only 5 major networks, and everything on cable being repeated adnasium, I can't see why anyone would ever need more the 6 tuners. Maybe a family who all want to watch live TV via Minis in seperate rooms, but for one person recording, even a serious couch potato, it seems like 6 is the magic number.

You specifically say you limit your recordings to the 5 major networks, with an occasional recording from PBS or a sideband channel. So why would you need more then 6 tuners? Are you padding everything and creating conflicts that way?

With only 5 major networks, and everything on cable being repeated adnasium, I can't see why anyone would ever need more the 6 tuners. Maybe a family who all want to watch live TV via Minis in seperate rooms, but for one person recording, even a serious couch potato, it seems like 6 is the magic number.

The comment was with regard to available OTA channels in my area. I also record from at least a half dozen or so cable network channels, like SyFy, USA, FX, TNT, AMC, A&E, etc., so I may have more than six tuners in use at any given time. Six of each type is the real magic number since I record from two different sources. I could probably get by with only four ATSC tuners, but the extra ones are just cheap insurance. Of the 17 tuners I have available, five of them are shared with other PCs and are rarely used by the primary HTPC.

I have my series recordings (aka season passes) set up primarily for new recordings only, so any show that airs beyond the original air date is considered a repeat. However, if something happens and the show can't be recorded in the initial time slot, WMC will reschedule it automatically and pick it up when it airs again. And yes, I do pad every single recording. With a sufficient number of tuners, there are no conflicts. The number of tuners I have may be considered overkill by some, but I can say with a high degree of confidence that I will never miss a recording due to a lack of available tuners. Making the same claim just using Tivos would require a considerably higher monetary investment. Of course, you'd have to purchase older model Tivos to get OTA recording capability since Tivo has seen fit to eliminate that function from current models.

I'm the only one that watches and records from the primary HTPC. The wife uses a set top box in the bedroom and a small HTPC in the family room that uses a SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime for a TV signal. Both my kids are out of college and living on their own so it's just the two of us.

I have a 4-tuner Elite and never miss a recording due to lack of tuners. And I pad pretty much every recording too. But I'm with Bierboy here, just me and the wifey watching shows so the box rarely has all 4 red lights on. 17 tuners is beyond overkill for two people because you can't possibly watch all that crap IMO, but to each his own.

Storage capacity is a direct relation to how you use your DVR. If you like to record a lot of shows and archive them you'll need a lot of storage. If you record shows, watch them within a reasonable time frame, and then delete them, you really don't need a lot of storage. I routinely record about 40-50 hours of shows per week during the regular season and generally watch what I record within 2-5 days after they're recorded. I only have a 1.5TB drive in my HTPC for recording and it rarely gets more than half full. I also use that drive for additional file storage so the actual space for recording is more in the neighborhood of about 1.2 TB.

Obviously, everyone's recording and viewing habits differ. Some people record fewer shows but like to hang onto them forever. Personally, I've always been a strong believer that a DVR is for recording, not long term storage. If you want to save shows indefinitely, offload them to a server or other storage facility where they're less likely to be lost in the event of a drive failure. DVR drives are running 24/7 and will have a much shorter lifespan than the average desktop drive.

BTW, I'm on FIOS.

That's an excellent point. I do find, however, that even with relatively short-term viewing, stuff can accumulate pretty quick, although it's also usually pretty easy to delete stuff as well that's no longer relevant or whatever.

The one time that I find disk space is in need in a really big way is during the Olympics, where there are hundreds upon hundreds of hours of content, and it's nice to have it all to DVR through fast and catch bits and pieces of different sports.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan203

Cable channels tend to repeat everything, and there are only 5 or 6 broadcast channels in most areas, so the average cable user doesn't actually need more then 6 tuners.

I'd agree that the average TiVo user doesn't need more than 6 (maybe even 4) tuners. However, I would also say that TiVo sucks at getting the repeats. If you have a show at lower priority on a cable channel that doesn't have a tuner to record, TiVo is too dumb to pick up the second showing at midnight or whatever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr.unnatural

Both my kids are out of college and living on their own so it's just the two of us.

I'd agree that the average TiVo user doesn't need more than 6 (maybe even 4) tuners. However, I would also say that TiVo sucks at getting the repeats. If you have a show at lower priority on a cable channel that doesn't have a tuner to record, TiVo is too dumb to pick up the second showing at midnight or whatever.

What are you talking about? Mine picks up the midnight repeats constantly.

__________________
1 - TiVo Roamio Pro
2 - TiVo Premiere XL

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